Hi everyone,

There is not much to report at the moment (thankfully!), but we did have a routine visit with Dr. Skubitz yesterday so I thought I’d do a quick update. 

Todd’s latest Sutent chemo cycle (May 28 - June 11) went fine, although it caused more fatigue and stomach symptoms over the past week than usual.  But fortunately, he started feeling better this weekend and we were able to get out for a bike ride and for a walk at the dog park.  Of course, Todd goes back on chemo on Friday already, but the beginning of the cycle is usually better than the end, so we’re anticipating a few more good days before he starts feeling lousy again.

At the appointment yesterday, Dr. Skubitz told us that he and Dr. Sakaguchi (the cardiologist) conferred and they have decided Todd should not have the heart surgery (see May 26 journal) unless/until it’s absolutely necessary.  So for now, we’re not going to worry about that, especially since Todd’s facial swelling and the pain/tightness in his chest and neck have been less severe during this cycle.  Dr. Skubitz also increased the dose of Todd’s thyroid medication again (he's been slowly tapering it up) and he will check Todd’s thyroid levels at the next appointment.  Additionally, Dr. Skubitz is helping Todd tweak his chemo schedule so that he will be off chemo during the big bike tour in July.  For more information about the Team Sarcoma bike tour, including the itinerary, our training, and how to donate ;), please visit our blog at http://andrewsbiketeam.blogspot.com/.

Finally, Dr. Skubitz scheduled Todd’s next PET scan of his lungs.  The scan will be on July 1 which, coincidentally, is one year to the day that Todd started the Sutent chemo that has kept his lung nodules stable all this time.  ONE YEAR - can you believe that?  I don’t want to jinx anything, but it’s truly amazing (and unprecedented for Todd!) that we’ve made it this long without more growth.  Due to the holiday weekend and Dr. Skubitz’s vacation schedule, we will not be able to get the results until July 7.  So there is going to be extra “scanxiety” this time around!  I will, of course, post an update as soon as we get the results.  We would appreciate prayers for another stable scan! 

Love,
Karen